Psychoanlytic Psychotherapy
Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy has its early foundations last century in the theory and work of therapists like Freud and Jung. It was often referred to as the talking cure as the client did a lot of talking and the therapist a lot of listening and interpreting. There have been major developments in the theory and method of this work more recently, especially in the work of theorists like Kohut and his Self psychology, or the Intersubjective school as espoused by Stolorow, Atwood and others.
Psychoanalytic therapy is based upon the idea that much of our behaviour, thoughts and attitudes are regulated by the unconscious portion of our mind and are not within ordinary conscious control. By inviting a patient to talk about themselves the psychoanalytic therapist helps him/her to reveal unconscious needs, motivations, wishes and memories in order to gain more conscious control over his/her life.
The Psychoanalytic client is a partner with his therapist in a unique exploration of his/her life. Just as no two human beings are alike, no two treatments are alike. Our unconscious is composed of many mental processes, wishes, needs, attitudes, memories and beliefs that have been formed in us by both genetic and environmental influences that are not directly available to our ordinary awareness. More recent work in this area holds that both therapist and client bring their own subjective and unconscious experiences of the world into the therapeutic space. Briefly put – by journeying into the unconscious realm new insights are developed which enable a happier life with greater personal and emotional flexibility.